Sustainability in Design - Circular Design & Green Chemistry

Are you setting up a business and are interested in designing for sustainability? Let's talk circular economies & green chemistry!

Here are some quick notes to get you started. 

To be truly sustainable, companies need to begin considerations early in the design process.

It is much easier to design for sustainability than to try to backtrack and make up for lost ground (or spent carbon) later on, once the product is on the market. 

It is vital that those designing and formulating products ensure that chosen materials and ingredients will have a minimal impact on the environment. Even better, product designers should strive to seek out materials that have an overall positive impact on human, animal and earth health. 

A first step in designing for sustainability includes considering and comparing ingredients based on their environmental footprints, ease of production, ease of disposal as well as consideration for the recycling and re-use of containers and packaging in new products. 

Sustainability Requires Planning. 

How to plan for sustainability.

1.Designed for Degradation, Engineered for Sustainability

Sustainability and circular practices should be central to all stages of product formulation and development.

Example All deDANÚ products are designed so that at the end of their function they break down into innocuous degradation products and do not persist in the environment. For example, deDANÚ's cleansing sponge is made using compostable vegetable fibres. Take a look and read more about it here.

All deDANÚ salves and creams, if not used, may be put to compost, benefitting the soil rather than contaminating it. Containers are glass and designed to be recycled, reused or up-cycled.

2. Renewing Not Depleting

Raw materials are renewable rather than depleting.

Example: All deDANÚ ingredients are natural or botanical and grown locally where possible with circular principles and biodiversity in mind. Preference is given for crops that sequester carbon like hemp.  No synthetic materials are used. 

3. Prevention in Invention

The manufacturing of a product should be taken into account from the beginning. Prevent the need for harmful ingredients, water waste, packaging waste, energy spends etc. 

Example: deDANÚ prevents waste and contamination rather than treating or cleaning up waste after it has been created.

deDANÚ manufactures in cleanroom settings to reduce contamination and eliminates the need for synthetic, harsh preservatives. 

deDANÚ favours people over machines, embracing the a truly circular manufacturing theme.

4. Hazardous Chemical Syntheses

When designing, product developers should measure the need for synthetic methods. They should consider the potential toxicity to human health and the environment in their design phase. 

Example: In deDANÚ's products and manufacturing, toxic additives are not added. Natural and unavoidable allergens from botanical extracts are noted on labels and products are made with an intention to improve health, with no long term effects that are often the case with mass produced , synthetic based products. 

 More about deDANÚ

deDANU set out with a goal to provide sustainable, effective products, with with planning for sustainability beginning early in the design stages of each product's life. deDANÚ avoids where possible adding to our already grossly contaminated world through careful design as well as dedicated research and sustainable prevention policies and strict governance systems.

You can learn more about deDANU and read about products offerings at www.dedanu.ie